What Is Emotional Intelligence?
Written by: Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
The strength and perseverance to reach success do not come from strategic planning and continuous hard work on their own. The bigger part of success is tightly linked to the emotional state and the Mindset. This is why we keep on hearing and repeating how success is not about doing different things, success is about doing things differently. And differently refers to different emotional states. Experiencing emotions that are more nurturing, encouraging, and aligned with the force of life. And this is what emotional intelligence is about.
Therefore, to deepen your understanding of emotional intelligence, it is important to distinguish between the two different powers we have in our hands to navigate through the different facets of life—both professional and personal levels. On the one hand, circumstantial power comes from the outside world. On the other hand, the inner power gets unlocked from within.
The more emotional intelligence is mastered by leaders, the more they are able to stand out and reach success. In fact, leaders become leaders when they can influence other people’s thinking, emotions, and actions. And the starting point for that is to be able to influence their own emotions!
Circumstantial Power
The circumstantial power comes from a good education, a good job, a respected position, a family that supports you when growing up, and all the support you get from outside conditions and circumstances.
That circumstantial power helps us grow more confident, more independent. It also gives us a sense of reassurance when needed at times. Thus, when following a normal and expected path for career development, that power will guide you through the road to getting promoted as a manager and holding a leadership position.
However, the reality is far from being that simple. Because on your journey, many events could alter the path, by shaking your confidence and putting you off track. There are also moments where circumstances can become a burden. It will deepen your lack of self-worth as you don’t have the strength to carry the weight of all the expectations society and your own family has put on your shoulder.
That is the moment you can no longer rely on the circumstantial power you have been so used to leaning on. You need resilience, and resilience is in the realm of inner power.
Inner Power
By unlocking your inner power, you will see it grow stronger and override the circumstantial power. The source comes from within and it feeds from your strong belief in your worth and your path towards continuous growth and evolution. Your inner power will help you create those important circumstances you long for but don’t find them. It is the one that you use to stand confident and empowered if you get overwhelmed with the circumstantial power itself. The inner power is unleashed when you crack the codes of your emotional intelligence.
What makes a difference among leaders, and what distinguishes empowered leaders and great leaders is their emotional intelligence. How much they are aware of their feelings and how much they master their emotions, will show how their intelligence remains unshakable no matter what.
Because when your emotions are strained day after day, they will impact your performance. Furthermore, they will impact your decision-making process. On average, we make around three thousand decisions a day, some are important, and some are about what side to start brushing your teeth. Either way, when we are emotionally shaken, it affects us and alters our reasoning, our logic, and our thinking process. Thus, making decisions will be impacted directly.
Finding Resilience and Courage
What will make the difference in your success are two things your resilience and your courage.
Resilience comes from your emotional strength. From your belief that you will reach your goals, and will persevere no matter what. It comes from a power anchored in you. A power that you fuel by trusting its very existence. When you truly believe that it is there for you, you will calibrate to it and start feeling the force of life. It is that fine line between spirituality and the infinite power of the universe. The more you feel connected to it, the more you will see your resilience growing.
The second is courage. Courage is not something you dig deep inside you to find it. The courage comes from outside, from inspiration. From an external source. It comes from knowing that you will be okay no matter what. Courage is being aware of your emotions and not letting them override everything else. Courage is intertwined with your emotional intelligence.
Because unleashing the life force and getting the courage to try again, to preserve and turn your vision into reality is tightly linked to your level of maturity when it comes to understanding your emotions. So, they will feed into each other. Courage boosts your emotional intelligence. And emotional intelligence enhances your courage and makes it radiate to inspire others and help you create your success story.
Defining emotional Intelligence
Thus, emotional intelligence is related to your readiness to manage and control your emotions. The more you can influence your emotions and those of other people, the more you will stand out as a true leader in your field of expertise.
Emotional intelligence is the catalyst for your inner power and it is the drive that helps create circumstances for yourself when there are none.
Finally, the level of mastery of your emotions will dictate your capacity to reach your goals and create incredible results and success in your life.
This is how emotional Intelligence makes great leaders stand out!
Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Hynd Bouhia has cumulated more than 20 years of professional experience in high-level and leadership positions, covering investments, financial structuring, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development strategies. Hynd Bouhia was nominated by Forbes among the 100 most influential women in the world in 2008 and among the most influential women in Business in the Arab World in 2015 and honored as a member of the Johns Hopkins Society of Scholars in 2018.
